Construction unfinished as students, teachers started school year

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One building at Alta Loma Middle School still needed a bit more work Friday, as workers tried to complete construction projects financed with 2010 Measure J bond money.

Students and teachers were prepared to head back to school last week, but some schools in South San Francisco Unified School District weren't quite ready for their return.

Construction crews at both Alta Loma Middle School and Monte Verde Elementary School worked overtime in the days leading up to the students' return to try to finish building the new modular classrooms. These were intended to replace the temporary portable classrooms that previously housed overflow students. A note on Monte Verde's homepage said that, in the event of alternate arrangements, fire and safety officers would be present at the schools to make sure students were safe in their potentially overcrowded temporary classrooms.

"There may be some inconveniences for a couple days," acknowledged Superintendent Alejandro Hogan, who said that alternate arrangements such as doubling up on classrooms were an option if the buildings weren't finished.

One teacher reported Wednesday morning that some classes were being held in empty classrooms, the library or the cafeteria.

"There were no delays due to construction," Hogan said Friday. "It was the personal preference of some teachers to wait to move into their classrooms until after the first day so they would have more time to move in."

Construction crews were still at work later in the week. On Friday, crews were still working on several buildings at Alta Loma. A couple of buildings looked to be partially furnished and in the clean-up stages of construction, but a huge section of wood on one larger building was still unpainted on the exterior and piles of furniture lay outside beneath plastic sheeting.

The construction projects are part of the $162 million Measure J Bond, passed by voters in 2010. Classrooms are being added at several schools to replace temporary portables used to house overflowing classes.

This was the first summer of construction, with projects to add permanent modular classrooms at four of the South San Francisco district's schools: Alta Loma, Monte Verde, Skyline Elementary and Baden alternative high school.